I’ve been so crazyexcited about organising bits and pieces for Pennyroyal that relaxation has been taking a back seat, which is not good because my brain gets tired and wobbly if it spends too long in hyperdrive about one thing. Also, I am supposed to be just relaxing in general at the moment!

So… how about that first Big Day Out announcement? Best in years and absolutely requires a weekend mission to Auckland in January, tedious crowds and shite venue be damned.*

M.I.A (!!!), Iggy and the Stooges, Grinderman, Lupe Fiasco, Deftones, Primal Scream, LCD Soundsystem, Rammstein, Andrew W.K, Bloody Beetroots. I freakout out when I found out that M.I.A is coming. Holy shit that is good news. Iggy & the Stooges fell flat for me last time they played the BDO; it’s possible that I let the (relatively thin and unenthused) crowd get to me, though, so I am looking forward to checking them out again as long as there are no clashes timetable-wise. Grinderman were apparently amazing when I saw them, but fucked if I can remember any of it; hopefully the same thing won’t happen this time around :-p

M.I.A

The only downer is that Tool – and therefore, the Tool Army – are going to be there. I have a love/hate relationship with Tool in that I used to love them and now I can’t stand them. Possibly a case of overexposure. Damn, I used to L.O.V.E Tool. Some of my ladyfriends and I even ditched our Sixth Form ball to go see them, for what was my first truly mindblowing concert-going experience.

Opiate, Undertow, Aenima, Lateralus; I have lived and breathed all of those albums, but by the time 10,000 days was released I had ceased to care. They really are an amazing live band, however, and their set will most likely be incredible. Where will I be when Tool are doing their thing, though? Dancing my goddamn ass off to M.I.A, that’s where.

It is going to be a reunion up there; everyone I know who had written the BDO off is gurning like a mofo right now. Indeed, I am goddamn fucking excited about the line-up as well. A rare feat these days!

A little adventure up to Auckland is going to be amazing in itself, I can’t wait to catch up with all of my wonderful AKL folks, it is going to rule.

Also…

♠ Albert Park in summer! Lounging around in the shade on huge knarled tree roots with a sly bottle of wine ♥

♠ The Burgerie; tofu chilli roll; the best ever ‘day after’ fuel known to man, I swear

♠ Fujisan; I get intermittent cravings for specific items on their menu; it is one of my favourite things about Auckland

♠ The Wine Cellar and Whammy. Actually, pretty much all of St. Kevin’s Arcade!

* Surely they could have the BDO somewhere other than Mt Smart Stadium, right? The Australian gigs are at venues that don’t require people to turn into a shoulder-to-shoulder lemming mass, there must be a better venue in New Zealand somewhere.

Thursday, after being fortified this morning with McDonalds of Doom for breakfast and a surreal detour in to Warhammer HQ with Cam, I finalised the Pennyroyal logo and bought a bunch of beautiful paper sheets from Gordon Harris to play with.

There is so much to do and so many exciting things going on. Having to take it easy because of my health is frustrating sometimes, but I’m trying (and mostly suceeding!) to keep it positive.

♠ I made twelve rings this week

♠ Since leaving Tech, being able to chill when my body needs it, I have needed to put my feet up less often

♠ Pennyroyal has a logo! Yuss!

♠ I am mulling over a bunch of ideas for packaging and labelling, and excitedly sourcing wares for another batch of goodies

♠ I have a bunch of amazing, supportive people in my life ♥

In the past I would have been really bummed out and mopey about having to leave work early due to being sore on Saturday, and not being able to go out to the No Love Lost vs. RockRavenNinja show that night for the same reason. Feeling sad&sorry for myself about not being able to graduate from Tech.

Not anymore though!

Let me tell you, it is so much easier on your sense of self, aiming to be accepting of whatever is going on in the present, and just doing what can with what you have got right now in order to move forward and upwards, onwards. Beyond.

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I’ve been able to complete a bunch of missions today – yuss! It has been an amazing week full of beautiful things.

♠ Working on branding for Pennyroyal

♠ Wearing a couple of PR rings out and about and joyously thwacking them against random hard surfaces to test durability

♠ I feel really positive about the decision I made to leave Tech – my body is thanking me in small ways already

♠ The specialist appointment I had on Wednesday was a total success; I am booked in for investigative keyhole surgery in mid-October. Having my own private room with an ensuite will be wonderful, though I am still thankful that it will only be an overnight stay!

♠ Baking more cupcakes! Ever since the SPCA fundraiser I have become obsessed

The launch will be on the 15th of October at 6pm, at Thistle Hall on Cuba Street.

“On Monday, October 15th 2007, more than 300 police carried out dawn raids on dozens of houses all over Aotearoa / New Zealand. Police claim the raids were in response to ‘concrete terrorist threats’ from indigenous activists. 20 people are facing charges under the Arms Act, in a trial that could take several years. On this site you can find out how to get involved in local support groups, dates and locations of solidarity events are happening and how to make a donation.” – October 15th Solidarity

Reading first-hand accounts of what happened during the raids is important. They will go some way towards debunking the tediously predictable, fearmongering perspectives that get thrown around by big media.

The lies and inaccuracies that powerful people, through the media, would have us believe about ourselves, about our world, about each other, are truly ridiculous. Media literacy is so goddamn essential. Now more than ever. Recognition of the agenda at play is key to living a sweet life, I think.

Being media-aware has helped my happiness so much. It’s waaay more difficult for those motherfuckers to dent my self-esteem these days and the key is recognition. Once I began to recognize propaganda it was like an avalanche of awareness: I started noticing the subtle framing of things, the small omissions, the cynical ploys.

The all-encompassing Western media-corporate-political web does not want you to be happy. It does not want you to believe that change is possible. It does not want you realise the knowledge your bones feel, the age-old quantum science that everything is interconnected.

For time immemorial, it has been this way: Powerful people trying to accumulate more power at the expense of everyone and everything else. This is the game being played.

I am refusing to play the game anymore by bolding loving and having immense faith in myself and the universe.